Owner of damaged pizzerias wonders: Who did it and why?

Vandals struck two pizzerias under the same ownership — one in Cresco and the other in Mountainhome — in the past three weeks in what one owner believes is a territorial dispute.

HOWARD FRANK

Vandals struck two pizzerias under the same ownership in the past three weeks in what one owner believes is a territorial dispute.

The vandalism caused thousands of dollars in damage and nearly ruined sales on one of the busiest days in the pizza business.

The destruction occurred at two businesses owned by partners Steve Gilman and Joe Kastrati. One is the Capri Pizza and Restaurant on Route 390 in Cresco, Paradise Township, which has been in business for four years. The second act of vandalism occurred on the site of their newest restaurant, under construction in Mountainhome.

Kastrati discovered the latest vandalism Sunday morning at the Capri in Cresco. That was an important day in the pizza business — the NFL's divisional playoffs which always generates strong sales.

"I go to light the oven and nothing. The pilot was out, but that happens. So I tried the second oven and the pilot was out there, too. That was too much of a coincidence. So I went out the back and I hear gas. The line was cut," Kastrati said.

That wasn't all.

"So I go to make a call to get it fixed, and the phones don't work. I see the phone lines outside and I see every one's been cut," he said.

The owners were able to fix the propane lines in time to make pizza. Their phone company rerouted the restaurant's phones to their cell phones so they could take telephone orders.

Three weeks ago, the new pizzeria Gilman and Kastrati are building in Mountainhome was vandalized.

They had just poured a new concrete floor when the windows in the building were broken. That exposed the curing concrete to the elements, which could have affected the integrity of the floor.

The building, slated to open in March, needs several windows replaced at a cost of about $10,000, according to Kastrati. For the time being, the windows are covered with plywood since the owners hesitate to put in new windows only to have them broken a second time.

Kastrati and Gilman acquired the building there about two years ago.

"We bought a dilapidated eyesore, knocked it down and put in well over $50,000. It makes us look like someone who starts something but doesn't finish it," Kastrati said of the boarded up windows.

State police in Swiftwater are aware of the situation, according to Gilman, but police told him that without witnesses, they can't do anything.

"I'd like the community to know what's going on," he said.

Kastrati believes that some long-time business owners adjacent to the new building in Mountainhome, including a deli and a wicker store, don't want him to open the new store.

"I open at 11, he closes at 2. He sells sandwiches, we sell pizza. I'd like this thing to get worked out, but unfortunately I'm afraid someone is going to get hurt," Kastrati said.

"As far as they're concerned, I'm the newcomer," added Kastrati, who complained the deli was spreading rumors about him and his partner and treating his workers poorly.

"He kicked the contractors working on our new place out of his deli. He's been irritating since we bought the building," Kastrati said.

Gilman agreed: "He's walking around with a pipe in his hand all the time. I don't want any trouble with this guy. I'm a little afraid of him."

Kastrati said he had a physical run-in with a neighboring business owner that resulted in citations for both individuals.

"They charged us equally. I protected myself. I hit him a couple of times. The judge said if we both minded our own business, he'd drop the charges," Kastrati said.

Nothing more happened, according to Kastrati, and the cases eventually were dropped.

Kastrati said he doesn't know what to do.

"I find myself in a despondent situation. I invested in a town, and there are a few individuals who carry some weight and are trying to squish a little guy trying to make a living," he said.

"All I'm asking is to be left alone, continue with my investment and be a productive part of the community," he said.

The deli owner would not speak on the record with a reporter from the Pocono Record.